12-week internship a big hit for UCC student teacher 

We all remember our favourite teachers - those who inspired us and motivated us to achieve our dreams. The best ones are passionate about their subject, going beyond the textbooks to bring knowledge to life.

UCC student Rachel Burke, who is currently completing her Professional Master of Education (PME), has certainly ventured beyond the textbooks this summer with a 12-week internship at PepsiCo in Little Island.

For Rachel, it was a love of science and a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people that inspired her to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

“I’ve always wanted a job where I was helping people or making a positive difference in people’s lives”, she says. “And I’ve always had an interest in science, biology in particular”.

Rachel initially graduated with a BSc in Nutritional Sciences at UCC before pursuing her studies in education. While undertaking her PME, she was keen to combine her academic studies with practical industry experience. When she heard about the STEM Teacher Internship (STInt) Programme and its placement opportunity on the Research and Development (R&D) team at PepsiCo, she jumped at the chance to apply:

“My degree in nutrition is highly related to what they do at PepsiCo in R&D, so I always wanted to see PepsiCo’s ways of working... and be able to bring that back to the classroom”.

The STInt Programme is an Ireland-wide initiative that places primary and secondary school teachers in paid STEM internships in a variety of industries. Launched in 2016 by Dublin City University, the programme has awarded 310 internships to date. The aim of STInt is to create partnerships and encourage collaborative learning between STEM educators, companies and researchers.

This is the first year that food industry giant PepsiCo has taken a STInt intern, and it has been a resounding success.

“We’ve really enjoyed having Rachel on our team”, says Bríd O’Sullivan R&D Associate Scientist at PepsiCo and Rachel’s mentor on the STInt programme. “She’s a great asset... She brings a great enthusiasm and energy. It’s a fresh perspective on our team”.

The PepsiCo STInt internship is a 12-week summer programme designed to be challenging and diverse, giving students exposure to a variety of different teams and projects at the company as well as valuable industry insights. During her placement, Rachel shadowed colleagues in their roles and was directly involved in a number of different tasks, including daily routine lab testing, stability testing, and food forensics - where the R&D team try to identify any unusual or unexpected characteristics that have appeared in a product.

“This allows me to really apply the theoretical knowledge I have from college in the lab,” Rachel reflects. “Getting to use instruments I would have spoken about and learned the theory behind, but not actually used.”

In turn, Rachel will now be able to return to the classroom with a whole new wealth of practical knowledge, in particular the safety skills practiced in industry.

“Industry is obviously very safety-focused, and I can bring those skills to the classroom - getting students aware of what they’re using, the equipment, and how to be safe.”

Working in a team with eight other interns, Rachel also completed a project in which they developed a new product - protein balls using PepsiCo’s Quaker Oats - from idea generation to product launch stage. This experience has been invaluable, as has the skillset she has gained from working in a team. She lists time management, problem-solving, and teamwork as key skills she will apply to her teaching.

It’s not just teachers and their students who benefit from STInt. Industry itself sees many advantages to the programme. “It can build a pipeline for future talent,” says Bríd. “Student teachers gain great experience in industry, and they can then leverage this experience in the classroom and potentially guide and influence student career paths”.

Internships like STInt can take some of the mystery out of STEM careers, with teachers able to accurately describe the work to their students, breaking down barriers between industry and the community. Bríd, whose background is in food science and nutritional coaching, notes: “Sometimes, when people think of science, they think of nerdy people working in labs - but really, we’re just normal people with an everyday job!”

PepsiCo’s commitment to future talent and investing in the local Cork community continues to grow from strength to strength, and the company looks forward to taking on another STInt intern next year, as well as more students across its other internship and work experience programmes. “It’s only going to grow and expand”, says Bríd of PepsiCo’s student engagement work.

For any STEM teachers considering the STInt programme, the advice from Brid and Rachel is clear - go for it!

“I’d definitely recommend it”, says Rachel. “Sometimes, there can be a bit of a disconnect where people go into teaching but don’t have industry experience. (STInt) dissolves that barrier between you and the STEM industry. I’m getting experience in the STEM industry which I can now speak to my students about”.

Brid agrees: “It’s a great opportunity to learn and connect and network with people and such a good way to leverage your career going forward. It’s an invaluable hands-on learning experience in a real-life business that no book can ever teach you”.

For more information on the STInt programme, visit: https://stemteacherinternships.ie/